Need to address ‘major concerns’ in education: PM

New Delhi, Feb 6: There were “major concerns” relating to equity in education that need to be addressed even as access to primary education becomes “almost universal” with the Right to Education (RTE) Act, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday.

“Today, access to primary education in our country is almost universal. The Right to Education Act ensures that every child in our country has the right to eight years of elementary education,” Manmohan Singh said at the inaugural function of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.

The midday meal scheme, which provides hot meals to about 11 crore children in schools every day, has contributed to improved retention outcomes in our schools, he said.

“But, the standard of teachers and teaching is not up to the mark, and learning outcomes are far below what we want them to be. Drop-out rates in schools remain high after the elementary level. Some major concerns relating to equity also remain to be addressed,” he added.

The prime minister’s comments come a day after he regretted that none of the Indian universities figure among the top 200 in the world and emphasised on improving quality of education.